Gaining Acceptance
by bballgirl32
Summary: Nymphadora Tonks comes home speak with her mother about Remus Lupin, and Andromeda doesn't react as her daughter hoped. Is Andromeda going to force her daughter into the same circumstances that she endured so long before, or will she change her mind?


**A/N- **

**I wrote this in response to a request from PhilosopherStone909, who won a contest that I issued in one of my other stories. I kind of had a little trouble figuring out what to write, and I came up with this after some deliberation…. I hope that it's not too bad. Please enjoy. **

**...**

Andromeda Tonks was just starting to put supper on the table when a loud _**Thlunk! Crash! Bang!**_echoed from her living room. A light smile flitted across the dark-haired woman's lips.

"What a pleasant surprise," she said when obnoxious footsteps echoed into the kitchen. Andromeda didn't need Moody's fancy eye to know that her daughter was home; no one made as much noise as Dora. "I didn't know that you were coming for supper."

"Oh, well, er…" Dora said, her voice tight and strangely high. Worried, Andromeda's grip unconsciously tightened on the plate that she was holding. With her auror training and shifts for the Order, Dora had been so tired lately…. it even showed in her hair, which was constantly a dull gray-brown. "It might just so happen that… I may…"

"Out with it, Dora," Andromeda said, turning around so that she could face her daughter.

"Remember Remus? You know, from the Order…"

"There werewolf that you _like_," clarified Andromeda. Dora had inherited her father's difficulty with words, and although she normally thought it endearing, the mention of Remus Lupin had destroyed Andromeda's good mood. Her daughter had spoken highly of him before, and, despite Andromeda and Ted's protests, had continued to chase after him like a star-struck schoolgirl.

Fortunately for them, it seemed as if though Remus had no interest in their daughter.

"He is not _just _a werewolf," said Dora angrily. Her brown eyes flashed red. Andromeda set the plate down on the table and turned to face her daughter fully. Sixteen years with Bella had given her a keen sense as to when a fight was about to begin, and she had no doubt that her fiery daughter would start one shortly.

"Forgive me," said Andromeda. "He is also broke, rather depressed-looking, and old enough to be your _father_."

Dora threw her hands in the air. "My _father_? Yeah, if he had me when he was _thirteen_!"

"Why are we discussing this, anyway? I thought that he was not interested."

"He was _never_ not interested," Dora said emphatically, her entire face starting to turn an angry red. Andromeda knew that she needed to calm her daughter down, but she refused to stop the fight until she won. Dora was too good for Remus Lupin, and that was a fact. "He only wanted to protect me from _himself_. His worries were the same as yours!"

"And what happened to those worries?" asked Andromeda. "Did he decide that bedding a beautiful young woman was more important?"

A long, angry pause stretched out in the kitchen, and the look of angry shock on Dora's face prompted Andromeda to admit that she had gone so far.

"I apologize-"

Dora stomped her foot on the floor. "Forget it! All that you can see is that Remus is a werewolf, and I shouldn't even try to get you to look past that."

"Honey, it isn't just that. He's not right for you. There are so many other guys that you could have… why pick one as broken and beat up as him?" Andromeda asked hastily.

"Because I _love _him," said Dora.

It felt like Andromeda had been shot, and, even though _she, _of all people, should have known better, the Black who married a Muggleborn emphatically replied, "You _can't_."

Tears welled up in Dora's eyes, and she shook her head, a sad smile on her pretty face. "You should know, mother, that love isn't something you can help."

Then she turned and left, leaving her mother alone in the kitchen.

Ted clomped down the staircase moments later, smiling and cheerful and absolutely clueless. His cheerful expression faded when he saw how pale his wife was.

"Honey, what wrong?" Ted asked, jogging over to where Andromeda was leaning back against the kitchen counter, taking deep breaths to steady herself. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"Dora was just here," Andromeda said. She swallowed, hard. "She told me that Remus Lupin has agreed to a relationship with her, and… that… that she loves him." Ted opened his mouth to speak, but Andromeda cut him off, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "I know that I probably sound a lot like my mother… too much like my mother, but I wouldn't care if I thought that he was good for her-"

"Andy," said Ted. He took his wife's hands in his. "Calm down. I don't… you're talking about the werewolf, right?"

"The one that we had over for supper a few weeks ago, that Dora was here crying about only last week."

"And now they're…"

"Together," said Andromeda. "He's thirty eight, Ted. _Six _years younger than us. He's closer to our age than to hers, and he's a _werewolf_, and-"

Ted took Andromeda in his arms and shook her slightly, forcing her to look at him. Usually she maintained perfect composure, but their daughter's news had completely shattered that. Ted could understand why. After what happened with her own parents, Andromeda was resolved to do the best thing possible for Dora, and now she didn't know what that was.

"I was a _Muggleborn_, Andy, and I'm sure that your parents said that in the exact same way that you just said werewolf. You know as well as anyone that love isn't something we can control."

Andromeda didn't even let him breathe before she protested, "But you weren't dangerous! What if he changes when she's in a room with him? What if he _kills _her?" Ted laughed.

"He'll be taking wolfsbane, I'm sure of it, Andromeda, and I'm sure that he will be careful. Maybe, in this case, the extra years will be worth something. He seemed like a perfectly nice gentleman when he came over here for supper, and anyone our daughter loves deserves a chance. Don't you think?"

"I don't… it's not right, Ted. People will shun her, and… what if they get married, and have kids. What will happen to the child?"

A smile appeared across Ted's face. "Really, Andy. They are just beginning a relationship. Take everything one day at a time. If something bad happens, we will get through it… I just think that you should give this man a chance. He's a good-type of person, and, well, Dora is your daughter. If she really does like him, she's going to do anything to keep him."

"But-" started Andromeda. She stopped, waiting for Ted to cut her off, but he only raised an inquisitive brow. Andromeda opened her mouth to continue, then realized that she had no more protests. Ted was right. This man that her daughter was so crazy about deserved a chance. Her family had not given one to Ted, and it had made her life a lot more difficult than it should have been. She did not want that for her own daughter. "I'll write to Dora and tell her to bring him over for dinner. Perhaps you are right."

"Perhaps?" Ted laughed, pecking his wife playfully on the lips. "Don't I deserve a little more than a perhaps?"

"Okay," sighed Andromeda. "Fine. You _are_ right. I panicked and overreacted. I don't… like that our daughter is in love with a werewolf, but if things get more serious, I will try to accept it."

"That's what I thought," said Ted smugly. Andromeda reached up to hit him, but he caught her hand and laughed, deep and beautiful. "Now go write to our daughter. She's got your temper, and I don't want to completely refurnish her apartment."

Andromeda was still shaken and frustrated, but she did go off to write for her daughter's forgiveness. With the war going on, love was the most important thing, and it would not do her good to forget that.


End file.
